Tuscaloosa officials prepare for municipal elections

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

Wednesday

Jan 16, 2013 at 12:29 PM

Final preparations and council actions are taking place in anticipation of this year's municipal elections. The mayor and all seven members of the Tuscaloosa City Council will be up for election on Aug. 27. Also, each member of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education will be on the ballot.

TUSCALOOSA | Final preparations and council actions are taking place in anticipation of this year's municipal elections.The mayor and all seven members of the Tuscaloosa City Council will be up for election on Aug. 27. Also, each member of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education will be on the ballot.No one has announced plans to oppose any of the incumbents on either panel, but it is expected that several seats on the Board of Education will face challenges.On Tuesday, the City Council adopted the new district map. The district line changes were first introduced on April 12, 2011, and have not changed since then, despite the population shifts that resulted from the tornado that struck the city 15 days later.The redistricting process is required every 10 years to reflect population shifts indicated in the latest census, and the 2010 Census showed that Tuscaloosa has a population of 90,468 with the eastern area of the city having the most growth and the western part of the city having the biggest losses in population.These same district lines will also be used for the school board election.Also formalized with votes on Tuesday was the appointment of Tuscaloosa City Clerk Tracy Croom as chief election officer and Assistant City Clerk Debra K. Clements as the absentee election manager for the 2013 municipal elections.Below is the election calendar that will be followed by election officials, candidates and voters. It includes the day that candidate qualifying begins (July 2) and ends (July 16), the registration deadline for voters (Aug. 16) and the final day for absentee ballot submissions (Aug. 26).Jan. 22: Deadline to adopt redistricting ordinance.Feb. 5: Deadline for all required submissions to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval pursuant to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This includes the redrawn district lines that were adopted by the City Council on Tuesday.Feb. 26: Deadline for the City Council to change the salaries for the mayor and council members who get elected in August. So far, the only adjustment that has been made was the council's increase of the mayor's salary from $100,000 to $134,401.27 in October.May 29: Last day a person can become a resident of the municipality and district and still be a candidate for election.July 2: Qualifying begins. Candidates must file a completed statement of economic interests on same day the candidate files qualifying documents. By law, the clerk must remove from the ballot the name of any candidate who fails to file the statement of economic interests by the deadline. Also, state law requires candidates to file, within five days of qualifying, with the probate judge's office a statement naming the candidate's principal campaign committee.July 5: On this Friday, and on the Friday of each week beginning on the month prior to the election date, candidates are required to file campaign finance disclosure documents. In addition to July 5, these filing dates are July 12, July 19, July 26, Aug. 2, Aug. 9, Aug. 16 and Aug. 23.July 16: Qualifying ends at 5 p.m. and the mayor can order the printing of ballots. However, as soon as possible after qualifying, the council must appoint a “disinterested person” to perform the mayor's election duties if the mayor is a candidate in the election.July 22: Deadline for: A candidate filing a statement with the probate judge naming a principal campaign committee; the city clerk can forward statements of economic interest by candidates to the state's Ethics Commission or notify the Ethics Commission of the name of each candidate and the date each person became a candidate; the City Council can place a voting machine, sample ballot or vote card on display.July 23: City Council may vote to certify any lone qualifier for an office the winner and thereby elected to office provided that no one else has qualified to challenge for the seat.Aug. 13: First day that an electronic vote counting system can be tested. Notification of the tests must be made to the press and filed with the Secretary of State's office at least 48 hours in advance.Aug. 16: Voter registration deadline at the Tuscaloosa County Board of Registrars.Aug. 22: Final day a voter can apply for a regular absentee ballot.Aug. 26: Absentee ballots must be postmarked by this date or hand delivered to the absentee election manager by no later than 5 p.m. Also, this is the final day a candidate can withdraw from the election (by submitting written notice to the mayor).Aug. 27: Election Day